Fighting still a big no-no for Cardinals under Steve Wilks

The Arizona Cardinals had a very clear no fighting policy on the field during practice when Bruce Arians was the coach. Whether it was the offseason, training camp or during the regular season, there was no tolerance for it.

While many things have changed for the team at practice under new coach Steve Wilks, this is not one of them. Fighting is still taboo for the team.

“We don’t believe in it,” Wilks declared after practice Thursday. “I don’t tolerate that. I think we’re wasting time and a lot of energy. If you’re going to do that, we don’t need you in there.”

For Wilks, there are two major motivating factors. One is player safety, as he explained, “guys can get hurt, and all of a sudden now we’re set back a little bit.”

The other is just about disrupting practice. Wilks wants fast-moving practices and considers fighting “a speed bump.”

“Get those guys out so we can keep going,” he said. “If you want to fight, go ahead and take some laps.”

The Cardinals want intensity, but fighting is selfish. It makes sense to punish it. It isn’t permitted on the field during games and teams want to practice the way they want to play.